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  No man was going to claim her heart easily. Most men weren’t available in terms of emotion, or else they’d tarry with her affections like Nick and then leave. Weren’t all men the same? Her thoughts strayed to a very tall man with wavy dark hair, killer smile lines and almost unbelievably blue eyes. Combined with the glasses, the tinge of silver at his temples lent an air of authority and confidence. He was a good leader, a man after God’s own heart. And he’d asked her out on a date.

  In twenty-five years, no one ever told her they admired her. Her mother didn’t live long enough to tell her. Her father never told her. Neither had her teachers, bosses or co-workers. Sure, they thought she did a good job, but never once did they use the word admire. But here was the director of the TeamWork camp—a man she’d barely met—telling her he admired her. The compliment was as wonderful as it was hard to believe.

  Opening the door of the dorm, Lexa tried to dismiss such musings. No man was perfect. Not even Sam Lewis. Something had to be wrong with him. Only the guys in romance novels were dependable. Yeah, right. Lexa knew it was a lie, but it was all she had to cling to at the moment. Until proven otherwise, she needed to keep believing it.

  Chapter 9

  A Bible sat on top of her pillow a few hours later. Lexa smiled when she opened the front cover and spied Rebekah’s name inside, scrawled by a child’s hand. With its dog-eared, yellowed pages, it had been treasured. Loved. Just the night before, Rebekah handed her a straw hat. How wonderful to find such a good friend to watch over her so soon in the TeamWork camp.

  “You–you’re cer–cer–certainly in . . . a . . . a . . . goo–good m–moo–mood.”

  Lexa whirled in a circle, surprised. A slow smile slipped out. “Yes, I guess I am.” She plopped down beside Sheila on the bed and dangled her feet over the edge. “So, what do we do on a quiet Sunday afternoon around here? I mean, do we rest or do we work?” She’d go crazy staring at the four walls of the dorm or making small talk with the other girls for an entire afternoon.

  “M–mo–most of us re–rest, b–but S–S–Sam does–doesn’t st–st–stop th–th–the oth–others th–that wa–wa–want to d–do ex–extra wor–work a–around th–the ca–camp–campsite. B–but he for–forbids any–anyone t–to go to th–the work . . . worksite.”

  Lexa tilted her head to the side. “He forbids it? Seriously?” Interesting.

  A look of warning surfaced in Sheila’s dark eyes. “He st–strong–strongly ad–advi–advises a . . . again–against it.”

  Lexa grinned. “We’ll just see about that.”

  ~~**~~

  Two hours later, alone at the worksite, Lexa wondered what in the world possessed her to do something so foolhardy as to venture out by herself in the blazing heat. What was she trying to prove? Perhaps the important question was whether she was trying to prove something to herself or to a certain man named Sam Lewis. The answer was both, but more so to Sam. She wanted to prove to the TeamWork director that she was a hard worker and could swing a hammer with the best of his dedicated volunteers.

  With increased determination, Lexa pounded another nail into the board she’d been working on the day before. It was mindless and rote, but therapeutic in a surprising way. She’d made some decent headway. Lexa squinted as she looked up at the wood frame of the house. It was the third out of six they were to rebuild. Two waited to be painted since they’d been constructed by others before the arrival of the TeamWork crew. Her eyes scanned the three other homes in the early stages of construction. Sam must be proud of what TeamWork would accomplish here. The residents needed the help—financially and physically—to rebuild their homes.

  Even though she’d never been good at judging heights or distance, Lexa figured the height from the top of the frame to the ground was about twenty-five feet, give or take. Not a great distance, but she didn’t want to know if it was any higher. She could do this. All she had to do was swing herself up there and hammer in some nails. Piece of cake. She’d always been pretty well-coordinated and a good climber. Sam would discover a little leprechaun had been busy working on the house . . . on Sunday, no less.

  ~~**~~

  Sam knocked on the door of the women’s dorm. He felt somewhat like a suitor standing on the doorstep holding a flower in his hands. He cleared his throat. “Beck? You in there?”

  “Hey, stranger. Come on in. What brings you to our humble abode this afternoon?” Rebekah held the screen door open and beckoned him inside.

  “I’m looking for Lexa.” Sam scanned the room. Although he tried to cover his disappointment at not finding her, he should have known he couldn’t fool Beck.

  She crossed her arms and gave him one of her knowing looks. “So, I was right. You have a little crush on your new TeamWork volunteer. The petite blonde one with the braid.” She shot him a wry grin.

  “Trust me, no one’s more surprised than me.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Am I that transparent?”

  Rebekah nodded. “Afraid so, my friend. And put your hand down. Your nerves are showing. Just be careful. You and I both know Lexa’s skittish.” Her brows drew together. “She’s afraid of something, but I don’t know what. Did you learn anything from reading her application?”

  “A few things, yes, but you know I’m not at liberty to discuss any details.”

  Rebekah laughed. “Of course not, being TeamWork director and all.”

  He crossed the room. “Isn’t this Lexa’s bed?”

  “Right.” She eyed the small, black leather book in Sam’s hands. “What’s this? Your little black book?” Her green eyes teased.

  “Something I’m not using anymore. I want Lexa to have it.”

  Rebekah nodded. “And am I supposed to let on that I know who brought this gift if she asks me?”

  Sam shook his head, heading toward the door again. “I think she’ll be able to figure it out.”

  With a grin, he tugged his Stetson over his head and whistled the entire way back to his office.

  ~~**~~

  Hammering away, Lexa paused when she realized she hummed the chorus she’d learned at the morning service. It came naturally, and had a catchy tune. Hearing an odd noise, something unidentifiable yet couldn’t be human, Lexa peered down at the ground. She screeched when she spied what had to be the biggest, ugliest armadillo in the world. It settled directly beneath her elevated perch. Having lived in Texas her entire life, she’d seen countless armadillos before, but in the road and . . . well, dead.

  “Hello there, big fella! Go on your way now. There’s bound to be something better for you down the road. Over there! Shoo!” Lexa motioned with her arm, waving as if the animal could see her much less understand what she was telling it to do.

  The absurdity of her situation hit. She started laughing and couldn’t stop. It was like that ornery old goat staring at her from the middle of the road. She hadn’t laughed so hard or so long in years, and the release felt good. Really good.

  Oh, this was rich. Here she was, sitting twenty-five feet up in the air, laughing her head off, with an armadillo waiting for her on the ground. No way on earth was she climbing down until that ugly creature left the area. Do they bite? If she climbed back down from her perch, would it attack her?

  “Okay, it’s either you or me, big guy!” Lexa considered the possibility of throwing her hammer to scare it. After all, she’d proven herself pretty decent at throwing tools around—on purpose or not. Not wishing to hurt the armadillo, Lexa decided to work a little longer. Swinging the hammer high, she brought it down again and pounded her left thumb. Hard.

  “Yowza!” With the force of her yelp, she bit her lip. Hard. Oh, bother.

  Wincing, Lexa stuck her thumb in her mouth and sulked. The worst part of it all was that she deserved it. This would teach her to do something foolish just to prove a point. She leaned over, hoping the creature might be scared off by her outburst. Nope, she wasn’t so blessed.

  “You’re not about to leave first, are you?” Frowning in
disgust, she crossed her arms and pouted, prepared to wait out her standoff with the armadillo. What a fine situation.

  ~~**~~

  Sam scooted over as Rebekah dropped onto the bench beside him. Almost finished with dinner, he planned on a quiet evening studying the plans for the house they’d finish in the next few days. They kept such a grueling pace during the week, it was nice to observe a quiet day, taking the Lord’s Sabbath to heart. It might be an old-fashioned concept for some, but it worked for him.

  “Sam, I’m a little worried about Lexa.”

  He finished the last bite of peach cobbler. The peach was truly God’s greatest fruit. Smacking his lips and wiping his mouth with the napkin, Sam turned his full attention to Rebekah. “I’m sure she’s fine. Is there any reason to think she’s not?”

  “She’s missing.” Rebekah’s arms crossed on top of the table, and she frowned.

  Sam blinked hard. His heartbeat increased tenfold. “What do you mean, she’s missing?”

  An exasperated sigh escaped. “She wasn’t in the dorm all afternoon, and you didn’t see her here for dinner, did you?” Rebekah waved her hand around the tent.

  “Is her suitcase gone?” Had Lexa already packed it in and given up on their camp? Maybe he’d scared her off with the whole let’s-grab-dessert thing. But she hadn’t seemed adverse to the idea. Where could she have gone? Other than the dorm, dining tent and laundry facilities, it was all wide open spaces. She couldn’t hide, even if she wanted. “Maybe she’s doing laundry or went into town.” Sam tried to keep his breathing even.

  “Relax, Sam. I didn’t mean to get you all worried.” Rebekah put a hand on his arm and squeezed. “After all, why would she leave now when she’s caught the attention of our fearless leader?” She caught his look and shrugged. “I checked the laundry room, and she’s not there. If she went into town, she didn’t tell any of our roommates about it. Besides, how would she get there since you’re the only one with a car?”

  “You know the reason for that.”

  She nodded. “Sorry. Of course, I do. Do you think we should send out a search party?”

  “No need for that yet. We don’t want to jump the gun. I’m beginning to think anything’s possible with Lexa. She probably wandered off somewhere and forgot about the time. I’m sure she’ll be back soon. We still have some time before nightfall.” He nodded at a couple of the men across the dining tent and forced a smile he didn’t feel.

  “Wandered off . . . where? Surely you’re not going to wait until nightfall to look for her?” Rebekah’s voice was incredulous.

  “No, I suppose not.” Sam’s heart raced. While not wanting to overreact, he wanted to know where Lexa was. Wanted to know now. An unsettled feeling washed over him. The woman came to his camp looking for adventure. She was feisty and impetuous. Who knows where she might have gone, what she might have done, what kind of trouble she might have managed to find. Or what kind of trouble might have found her. He scowled.

  Leaving the table, Sam dumped his empty plate in the trash can. He turned in a slow circle to face Rebekah. His hands found his hips, his forehead creased with concentration. “Are the other girls in the dorm now, do you know?”

  “Yes, I think most of them are.” Rebekah hurried to catch up with his long strides as Sam headed in the direction of Building Seven.

  “Fine. We’ll start by asking them if they’ve seen her, what they know.” The innate leader had taken control once more.

  When he started to open the door of the dorm, Rebekah stretched an arm around him and held it firmly in place. “Excuse me, but since when do you barge in here without so much as a knock?”

  “Oh, I didn’t think. Sorry.” Throwing a look back at Rebekah a split second later, he hollered, “Ladies, I hope you’re decent because I’m coming in now!” Flinging the door wide, Sam stomped inside.

  Chapter 10

  Five pairs of eyes stared at him, wide-eyed, as Sam stormed into the center of the room. Thank the Lord they were decent in spite of his impulsive act of barging in on them. The braided wonder was already making him crazy, in more ways than one. Normally, he never would have rudely barged into the women’s dorm unannounced. As Sam focused on Lexa’s still-empty bunk, he waited a moment until his eyes adjusted to the dim light.

  “Have any of you seen Lexa this afternoon?”

  Winnie, Amy, Natalie, Kim and Monica all shook their heads and stared at him without saying a word. “No one’s seen, heard from, or even talked with Lexa this entire afternoon?” Again with the head shaking. “Well, she’s got to be somewhere!” His voice was gruff with impatience. Sam shoved the screen door open without ceremony and stamped back outside. He almost mowed down Sheila in the process. “Sheila!”

  The timid girl shrank away from him, her shoulders more hunched than usual. “Ye–yes–yes?” Shaken, her eyes cast downward at the ground.

  Pausing, Sam tamped down his rising frustration. “Have you seen Lexa this afternoon? She didn’t show up for dinner, and Rebekah and I are a little concerned.”

  Sheila shifted her feet and appeared anxious, but remained silent.

  “Sheila, please tell us if you know anything, have any idea where she might be.” Sam wanted to take her by the arms and force her to look at him, but it would probably scare the poor woman to death. He’d noticed how Lexa befriended her at the morning Bible study. If Lexa had spoken to any of them, it would have been either Rebekah or this one.

  Why was his heart racing like it was going to fly out of his chest? Even though Sam knew his reaction was extreme, he couldn’t help himself. He didn’t like feeling out of control.

  “I–I–I s–s–saw h–her.”

  Sam strained forward to hear. “You did? Where? What did she say?”

  “I–I,” the girl stuttered, swallowing hard and closing her eyes to concentrate, “I th–th–think I– I kno–know wh–wh–where sh–she is.”

  “Where, Sheila? Where’s Lexa?”

  “Th–th–the wor–worksite,” she sputtered. Dark eyes finally met his.

  “Thanks. I appreciate your help.” He hoped his tone sounded less gruff. “You did the right thing telling me. I just pray she’s all right.”

  “Me–me, t–t–too.”

  He was touched by the concern in her timid voice. Smiling to reassure her, Sam turned to go.

  “Are you taking the car?” Rebekah followed him back out the door.

  “It’s probably best, in case she needs medical attention.” He ran a hand over his brow. “Beck, what in the world is Lexa doing out there on her own? Doesn’t she know how dangerous it can be in this heat if she doesn’t have enough water . . .” His voice trailed, his brows drawn tight. “What’s she trying to do, trying to prove?”

  Rebekah shook her head. “Beats me. Lexa Clarke seems to operate under her own set of rules. Your guess is as good as mine. Do you want me to come along?”

  Sam shook his head. “I think I can handle this one on my own. Just say a prayer for me to hold my tongue once I find her. Lord help her then.”

  “Down, boy. Something tells me Lexa already learned her lesson if she’s been out at the worksite by herself all day. That sun’s pretty brutal. Like you said, I hope she had a water bottle.”

  Rebekah’s frown worried him even more. They shared a look. She thought of Shelby, just as he did. He couldn’t afford to lose another volunteer on his watch. It was not going to happen.

  “Bring her back safe and sound, Sam.”

  “Thanks, Beck. I’ll do my best,” Sam promised with a mock salute. Spurred by an overwhelming sense of urgency, he sprinted to the station wagon parked beside his office. Sliding behind the wheel, he dug into the pocket of his shorts for the keys. Remembering they hung on a ring on the pegboard in his office, Sam grunted as he flung open the car door. Back at the car in less than a minute, he revved up the engine and sped off in a swirl of dust for the half-mile drive.

  As he drove the short distance, he prayed for the Lord to k
eep Lexa safe. At least until he got there. Then she’d probably need protection—from the wrath of Sam.

  ~~**~~

  Staring at her swollen thumb, Lexa shifted her feet. They’d fallen asleep again. Every time she started to climb down from her position, the armadillo made its indescribable sound and moved in her direction. How silly to be so intimidated by one of God’s creatures, no matter how incomprehensible it seemed that the Almighty could create something so odd.

  “This is absolutely ridiculous!” Her words carried off into what little wind stirred. “I’m actually scared of an armadillo.” She raised her knees with extreme care and rested her chin on them. Oh, where’s a good cowboy when you need one? She was going to grow old before this thing either left or her prince in shining armor came to rescue her.

  Lexa called to the armadillo. “Are you my prince in shining armor?” After all, he did have an armor of sorts. “Sorry, but you’re not exactly what I had in mind.” She sighed. Of course, it was supposed to be her knight in shining armor, but she might as well set her sights a bit higher. Why settle for a knight when a prince would do quite nicely?

  Without a doubt, she was certifiable. Not to mention dehydrated. The heat from the sun made her loopy. The sting of her arms was uncomfortable after sitting even closer to the sun for hours on end. Thank goodness she possessed enough foresight and brain cells to tug the hat over her head and guzzle a gallon of water before climbing to her perch. Still, at the rate she was going, they’d find her all shriveled up, still sitting on this beam in the morning when the TeamWork volunteers returned to the worksite. Or else in a crumpled heap on the ground below. Lexa shuddered at the thought.

  ~~**~~

  After speeding into the worksite in a swirling cloud of dust, Sam stepped out of the car and watched as a spooked armadillo waddled off into the brush as fast as it could go. Hearing something from above, he glanced up at the top of the house. The last thing in the world he expected to find was Lexa Clarke sitting on the highest beam of one of the houses, talking to herself and laughing. From what he could tell, she’d attracted an armadillo to her collection of admirers and was afraid to climb down for some reason. He couldn’t help the laugh that escaped.